The Good Old Days
by sazza-da-vampire
Summary: Family Matters. Legolas has a lot to live up to as the son of the Elvenking. Chapter Eight: the party returns home, but giant spiders stand in their way
1. The Company

Disclaimer: I own nothing recognisable

The Company

Legolas gazed at his surroundings, wide-eyed. He had rarely before been allowed to travel outside the Greenwood, for the world was deemed too dangerous for children in this day and age. Even now, travelling the distance to Imladris, Legolas and his age-mates were well protected within a group of warriors.

They were travelling to the Council of the Eldar, an event held once every dozen years to allow the leaders of the Elven realms to discuss international affairs, and for the newly come of age elves to participate in the Warriors Trial, which marked the official graduation of an Elvish trainee to an Elvish warrior or healer after a long-year of training. A number of craftsmen often made the journey to ply their trade in distant lands.

Legolas had trained as a warrior since he had first been allowed to draw a bow, as had his dear friends. He was ready, he believed, to face the Trials, a vigorous test of an Elf's aptitude in the field.

It had once been the case that youths would choose between the path of a healer and a warrior during adolescence, and each group would face separate Trials, but in recent long-years, few youths had chosen to be healers only. It was the norm for youths of the Greenwood to train as warriors, and then, perhaps, later train as healers. Indeed, Legolas' friend Brethildíl fully intended to do so immediately upon passing her Trials, and hoped to be offered a chance to study under Lord Elrond for a time.

The travelling party was eighteen in all, for there were five novices, including Legolas, a healer, and six warriors, along with four craftsmen and two of Thranduil's advisors.

Legolas' father's strong voice called a halt, and the group made camp in a copse of young trees, which would shelter them from view during the night. Supper was cooked, and watches were drawn, and those assigned to the final watch cast themselves down to sleep soon after eating.

Legolas took the time to evaluate his companions. They were only a day outside the forest of his home, but already Legolas could sense that many of them were tense, and watched their surroundings as if expecting orcs to appear out of thin air. The absence of a network of trees communicating any threat to the Elves unsettled Legolas, and he realised that he had grown up in a unique environment - one where the trees themselves provided a direct link to the Elves, warning them of any disturbance in their wood.

Legolas' closest friends were also graduating at this long year's Trials. Brethildíl, and her older brother Brethilríl, softly teased each other as they readied for sleep, until their father came between them to hush his children. Lothellon was a big Elf, and his son Brethilríl had inherited his muscled frame. All three Silvan Elves had green eyes, which to Legolas were as familiar as the blue eyes of his own family. Their long brown hair, caught up in braids, had a unique curl to it, only found among this family.

Lothellon was the King's bodyguard, and the big Elf settled himself down to sleep beside Legolas' father, carefully placing himself close enough to Thranduil to be woken if the King so much as twitched in his sleep.

Thranduil slept soundly, having drawn the dawn watch. The King's distinctive golden yellow hair splayed about his head, and his glassy blue eyes gazed upwards in dreams. The king tried to be just a warrior when on the trail, but his bodyguard would never allow him to come to harm.

Legolas' mother, Aldariel, was the healer in the group. The gentle Queen conversed quietly with her own bodyguard, then tucked herself into her husband's sleeping arms to fall asleep. Aldariel was a Silvan Elf, and she was much alike in looks to any other, with her cool green eyes and soft brown hair.

Sílívren, the Queen's bodyguard, had been Aldariel's best friend since the day she learned to talk, many long-years ago. Sílívren was smaller than the average elf, small even for a wood-elf, but though lithe she was very, very strong, and faster even than the best warriors the army had to offer. Sílívren's bow and twin knives were carefully set at her side, and she set her own bedroll up beside the Queen. The little elleth had proven a valuable asset to the Queen on a number of occasions, for enemies often underestimated the demure elleth's strength and skill, some even thinking her a half-grown adolescent. Her wavy blonde hair added to the innocent appearance the bodyguard often relied upon for surprise.

Legolas' gaze fell on his best friends. Aldanna was Sílívren's daughter, and though she was much taller than her mother, she had inherited all of her musculature. Aldanna was solid muscle from head to toe, and both she and her mother had light blonde hair and warm green eyes. She had spent much of her youth swinging through trees, and climbing on rooftops, the canopy of the forest, and even the mountain, and she had a lithe grace seldom seen in one as muscled as she. The elf's lean figure hid immense strength, and Aldanna was often seen running through the treetops when she had need to travel through the forest.

Tathar, setting his bedroll up between Aldanna's and Legolas', was much like his cousins, with typical Silvan features of brown eyes and dark hair. His mother, Lothellon's sister, was a close companion to the Queen, and indeed she ran the household at the stronghold.

Neldororn, Tathar's father, was a warrior. He kissed his son's brow before taking up the watch, and Legolas followed his gait as the tall Elf made his way to the edge of camp. Neldororn was a jovial fellow, and he preferred to laugh rather than talk. Neldororn had a bow slung across his back, and a sword at his side. The hilts of small daggers stuck out of the tops of his boots, and even his arm guards. He had the same dark eyes and hair as his son, and the pair of them were often difficult to distinguish from a distance.

Ladlaurë the seamstress had set her bedroll up near to Brethildil's. As she watched her daughter, and then her son, Legolas thought of the many hours he and his friends had assisted her in dyeing newly woven silk for clothing. Ladlaurë had made the clothing of each member of this company, from their breeches to their cloaks, and she had recently begun working on a method to use spider silk to make flexible armour. Ladlaurë's dark hair stood out against her pale skin, for the weaver often worked inside, and usually didn't see enough sun to accumulate a tan like the other Silvan elves. Ladlaurë had passed her green eyes on to her children.

Eregalen, a woodworker, was a craftsman travelling to Imladris to sell trinkets. The Silvan had overstuffed saddlebags, and he had even brought a few standardised bows. He slept already, in preparation for the late watch, and Legolas' mind drifted back to the many times he had been measured for new bows over the years, as he grew. Eregalen had nondescript brown hair and eyes, glazed over in Elven dreams.

Rílmír was a Silvan, and he set his own bedroll up as close to one of the guards as he could - Legolas remembered that the guard, Rílglín, was Rílmír's son. Both Silvan _ellyn_ had dark hair and grey eyes, and were heavily muscled. Both were girt with swords, which they placed reverently by their sleeping places, and Legolas realised that Rílmír had made many of the weapons this particular group bore on this trip. A distinctive swirling pattern marked the blades of Legolas' own white knives, declaring Rílmír to be the maker. Legolas absently fiddled with one of his knives as he assessed the swordsmith, finding no shortcomings from this cursory inspection of the muscled ellon.

Rílglín, next to his father, slept soundly. The lithe warrior usually would join various war parties to scour the realm of evil. Rílglín was yet young, having passed his Trials only a short time before, and Legolas wondered if Rílmír wanted to reign his son in a little to spend more time within the Greenwood. Rílglín carried a bow and a light sword.

Míruial, the jewelsmith, was a tiny Sindarin _elleth_ with jet-black hair. She kept only a small blade by her side, and Legolas guessed that she wasn't much of a fighter, and hoped that she would get through this journey unscathed in such a large group.

Bragolmel, like Legolas, was half Sindarin and half Silvan, but unlike Legolas, he looked Silvan in appearance, with dark hair and grey eyes. The advisor had been the first half-half child to be born in the newly formed Greenwood, and Legolas' history with the _ellon_ indicated he was not to be trifled with. He had a habit of catching Legolas and Tathar in the most compromising positions whenever they had attempted mischief as children, and had put a stop to a number of hare-brained attempts to skip classes, or scare girls, or get revenge upon Aldanna. Bragolmel was armed lightly, with only a bow and a knife, and Legolas hoped that he was competent in their use.

Hîmdol, a pure Sinda, had dark brown hair and grey eyes. Legolas had once been scared of the Sinda, but an incident involving Tathar and arrow misfired through a window had turned the previously stoic and imposing Elf into a gentle soul who took an intimate interest in the archery education of the youths of Greenwood. Legolas privately suspected that the Elf just didn't want to risk another uncomfortable trip to the healers to remove an arrow from his buttocks, but the Elf had gotten to know young Tathar, particularly, quite well during the years that he was learning to shoot arrows. As such, Legolas knew that Hîmdol was a good shot with a bow, but the only close-range weapon the advisor bore was, like Bragolmel, a single knife.

Kalhíth, the last Guard, stood the first watch. The Sindarin _ellon_ was a large, muscular elf, who made little to no noise as he walked the perimeter of the camp, gazing into the distance and listening for any sound of danger. The elf's medium brown hair and grey eyes were rather nondescript, but his huge size was not, for he was even larger that the longsword-wielding Lothellon. Kalhíth had a large battle axe in hand as he kept watch, and Legolas was sure the big Elf had a number of other nasty-looking weapons stashed away upon his person.

Legolas, his mental evaluation of his companions finished, drifted off to sleep as Brethilril checked his arrows for imperfections.


	2. Yrch!

Disclaimer: I own nothing recognisable.

Yrch!

Two days later, Rílglín, acting as scout, rode back to the group in haste. "Yrch!" he called, wheeling his horse around to face the threat. As yet, there was no sign of them, but the scout was very seriously scanning the hills immediately before them.

Thranduil immediately began barking orders. The craftsmen were at the back of the group, and those with bows were in front of them. Everyone with a sword was at the front of the group, and they continued onwards, all on the alert for the enemy.

They rode on for five minutes, and then suddenly arrows rained down on them from left and right. With a great war cry, the group split down the middle, and Legolas' bow was singing as he shot down Orcs that cowered behind the ridges and bushes on the hills.

Once the Orcish archers were taken care of, Legolas drew his knives as entered the fray only metres before him. With quick strikes, Legolas put holes in the orcs through gaps in their armour, until suddenly the road was quiet. There were no more living orcs.

"Get a torch, pile the bodies," Thranduil ordered, and all the orcs were piled in the road. "A warning to others," Thranduil shrugged when Lothellon wondered if they should burn the foul bodies in the hills.

The number of orcs had been relatively small, only two or three to each Elf in the group. Aldariel insisted on checking every scratch and bruise for poison before allowing the party to move on.

As soon as his mother let him free, Legolas collected his arrows from the three orcs he had shot, and noticed with disgust that one of them had been bent and broken by the heavy orc's fall. It was unusable. Beside him, Hîmdol threw a blunt arrow to the ground, cursing the orc's leaden bones for ruining a good arrow.

As Legolas remounted, he took inventory of the group. Eighteen Elves still stood, but though they had been victorious with no loss of life, it seemed that Míruial had been scared out of her mind. The elleth was quickly bundled up in front of Aldariel, who wrapped her in a blanket and held her before her on her horse.

"We have to leave before more yrch arrive," Thranduil announced as he swung into his saddle. "Rílglín, scout ahead," he ordered. "Find a place to camp an hour before night falls. Forward!" The group moved off at a trot, and Rílglín cantered off ahead of them.

They did not meet any more orcs that day, and Míruial was soon cured of her shock.

Two days later, as they made camp in the foothills of the Misty Mountains, Thranduil set three Elves to watch at a time. Legolas, Tathar and Aldanna had the first watch, as it was deemed the least likely time for an attack, the company having only just reached the very edge of orc territory.

Tathar, Legolas and Aldanna formed a triangle, each standing as far away from the other watchers as they could. Aldanna listened carefully, while Legolas placed more attention on his eyes as he peered into the gloom of the starless night.

It was Tathar who first mentioned the smell. "What do you think it is?" he asked, and suddenly Aldanna heard heavy shuffling over the grass.

"Yrch!" The call went up in the night, and suddenly sixteen Elves were ready to fight. Míruial and Eregalen had only just managed to grasp their weapons before the orcs were upon them.

This group had many archers, and a score of arrows were the first they saw of the orcs. One arrow hit Aldanna's shoulder, glancing off her armour, and Tathar batted another away from his chest with his sword. The orcs crept up through the darkness, and the archers in the Elves' company picked off almost half their number before the orcs crossed into the light of the embers of the cookfire.

Legolas stood near the edge of the camp, having no desire to be protected in the centre with the craftsmen, and so he drew his knives very early into the battle. He soon got lost in the rhythm of swiping at the orcs, and a flash of golden hair was all that told him his father fought nearby.

The orcs stopped coming after ten minutes, and the Elves piled the carcasses before picking up their belongings and moving on. Thranduil declared that they would ride by night, and camp during the day, which would be safer, as the mountain-dwelling orcs would not face sunlight.

Legolas was dead tired as they made camp, the sun rising at their backs. The sleepless night, while not something that would bother an older Elf, was wearing heavily on him, and he, Tathar and Aldanna had barely unrolled their blankets before they were fast asleep.

It was late afternoon before the three trainees stirred, to find Sílívren heating some supper over the fire for them. Sílívren explained that the day's watch had been quiet, and handed the reheating of the stew over to her daughter before rejoining the watch. When Aldariel and Lothelleth awoke, they checked their sons carefully for any signs of injury or illness, having been worried about them after sleeping the whole day away.

An hour before sundown, the Elves packed up and mounted their horses, and were well on the way before the sun disappeared behind the mountains.

It was only a matter of time, Thranduil told the company, until they were attacked again. Lothellon agreed, and sent Sílívren off as a second scout, though she, at Thranduil's request, stayed within sight of the main group, so that the two scouts were at different distances from the main company. Rílglín, for once not acting as a scout, constantly glanced around, taking in every detail of their surroundings.

Kalhíth, the huge Silvan warrior, rode back to the company, Sílívren a few metres behind. "Goblins and yrch fight in the next valley," he reported. "Almost four hundred all up. I would not risk them turning upon a common enemy - us."

"We go around," Thranduil declared. "It will be longer and more difficult, but we cannot risk a fight against a hundred. Keep below the tops of the hills, so they do not see us."

As one, the company all nodded. They adjusted their course to go around a hill, rather than down the path. Legolas and Brethilril rode at the rear, side by side, while Kalhíth and Lothellon took point. Rílglín, in his element, cantered off in front to scout the path.

They made it almost to the path without incident. Rílglín waited for them there, reporting that they could not enter the pass through the mountains without risking being sighted by the orcs.

"It is a two-day journey through the pass," Aldariel stated grimly. "We have already travelled for much of the night, and our horses - and our young ones - cannot go indefinitely."

"We cannot risk being chased up the pass," Thranduil agreed. "But perhaps we can create a diversion, to keep the yrch fixed upon their own."

"The only thing which would keep their attention wholly would be a prisoner," Rílglín disagreed. "We cannot risk such an endeavour."

"That is not quite true," Kalhíth placed a big hand on Rilgin's slight shoulder. "We don't really need to give them a prisoner. All we need is to tantalisingly promise them of finding one."

A light appeared in Rílglín's eyes. "That's brilliant," he whispered.

Hidden from the fighting orcs and goblins by a high hill, the Elves set about constructing a diversion for the orcs. A single blanket and pack, emptied of all its contents and torn to barely functional shreds were prepared, along with a ruined cloak that Ladlaurë promised she would replace. Legolas and Tathar jumped on the blanket, getting it all muddy, while the Brethils set their daggers to the pack, tearing it to shreds. Aldanna efficiently ruined the cloak.

While the young ones worked, the older Elves set about the task of muffling their horses' hooves with rags, so they could pass silently.

Rílglín, being the fastest rider, took the bundled up cloak, pack, and blanket and cantered off around the hills to the other end of the path, where he let out a loud swear to the Valar, throwing the bundles down the slope.

The sound of Rílglín galloping back was lost in the shrieks of the orcs and goblins as they abandoned their feud to attack the Elf they thought was at the entrance to the valley. Thranduil's company slunk past and up the entrance to the pass without a sound, and not a single goblin or orc caught sight of them.

The passage up the mountain was surprisingly uneventful, and Kalhíth explained that the goblins normally in this area were probably at the bottom of the pass, searching for the hapless Elf they thought was down there.

Legolas and Sílívren drew first watch when dawn broke, and the rest of the company settled down to sleep - right in the middle of the pass. The morning was frankly boring, and Legolas discussed with his honorary aunt some of their childhood escapades. Sílívren's tinkling laughter filled the pass when Legolas jokingly insisted that the sojourn to Laketown by barrels had been entirely Rílglín's fault, for he had been the adolescent who'd pushed the barrels into the river. Legolas laughed when Sílívren insisted that it was he, Tathar and her daughter who had climbed into barrels at the water-gate while playing hide and seek, making it their own fault.

Legolas fondly remembered that day, when he and his friends had been playing hide and seek in the lower levels of the palace. They had originally planned to use the upper halls, as was their wont when ordered to stay inside the caves, but Thranduil and his advisors had been involved in meetings with Elves from Caras Galadhon, and so the preadolescent elflings had retreated downwards to play their game in peace. He remembered the days after with a lot less fondness, for they'd been spent in the cold, wet, dark of the inside of a barrel bouncing down the Celduin.

Brethilríl had been the seeker, when Aldanna had spotted the conveniently sized barrels in a room at the end of the corridor. Legolas and Tathar had immediately followed their friend into barrels, and Brethildil had helpfully replaced the lids before hiding herself behind some other barrels.

When the half-opened door had been pushed open, Brethildil had giggled to herself, thinking that it was her brother come to seek them. Unfortunately, it had been some adolescent Elves serving punishment duty in the King's halls after an ill-fated attempt to drug their teacher with water from the Enchanted River. It had been years later that Legolas discovered those Elves were Rílglín, Tauriel (now Captain of the Guard) and Lassiel, the wine-maker's daughter.

Legolas had kept quiet as his barrel was pushed over, assuming it was Brethilríl come to seek him out, and had not shouted in fear until his barrel began to fill with water.

It had been a dark, wet, miserable two days before the young Elf was rescued, his father pulling the sodden, miserable, hungry and tired Elflings out of the barrels to the shock of a number of Men of Laketown.

"They rode down to Laketown like a dragon was on their tails," Sílívren laughed, "and Neldororn and I went with them, as Brethildíl and Brethilríl were so scared for you all, and Neldororn wasn't going to let anyone else find his son. They rode straight through Laketown, murderous looks on their faces, and the Men jumped out of their way without even attempting to question their presence. Thranduil rode straight to the point where the barrels are received, Neldororn behind him, and myself as well, and they started hacking at the barrels. "

Legolas smiled wistfully, remembering how fearful he had been when he'd heard the wrenching at the lid of his barrel. He'd thought it was some sort of lake monster, come to eat him, or maybe even the dragon, as his imagination had fired wildly. He had been so innocent back then - before meeting the monstrous spiders, and orcs which roamed the Greenwood.

Sílívren continued her tale as they both kept an eye on the pass and surrounding rocks. "The Mayor himself came up then, he'd been summoned by furious traders, and he told Thranduil that whatever they'd accidentally sent was now the property of Laketown. And he laughed, would you believe it! 'You don't want these,' he told the Men of Laketown, before getting the lid off one of the barrels. I upended it and lo! there was Aldanna, all soggy, bleary-eyed, and she cried when she saw us all. 'I'm sorry!' she sniffled, over and over. I held her then, and the Men of Laketown backed away, for they had never known that we in the Greenwood had children and they were rather surprised."

Legolas chuckled, remembering the tales he had once, later, heard from his sister after she visited Laketown about the one time Men had come into contact with the elusive Elvish children.

"And then Neldororn's barrel opened, and out fell Tathar! The Men were so shocked, and a few even shouted in surprise. 'Imagine that,' someone said, 'two Elf-children here!' It was then that Brethildil flung herself down to hug Aldanna, for she had finally calmed down in her father's arms. And then Thranduil got the last barrel opened, and there you were, all tangled limbs, big scared eyes and half drowned." Sílívren paused in her tale, inspecting a dark shape on a distant rock, but it soon flew away, revealing itself as only a bird.

"Oh, the lakemen had imagined that Greenwood must secret away an elfling or two, but to find three of them in barrels was just too much. A good number of them went away from the dock, shaking their heads as if to clear them, and Thranduil accepted the Master's offer of beds to sleep in for the night, and blankets to warm the children. Brethildíl was so glad to see you had all survived. And Aldanna laughed the whole thing off only a day later."


	3. Only the Beginning of the Adventure

Disclaimer: I own nothing recognisable.

Only the Beginning of the Adventure

The Company rode for Imladris, hard, as they fled the Misty Mountains the next night. The descent of the pass had been uneventful until a goblin scout had discovered them, an hour after nightfall. Thranduil had ordered them to ride, hard, and not look back.

As Legolas rode beside Tathar down the slope, he looked around to count the company. _Eighteen, good_. Satisfied that none were left behind, the young ellon returned his attention to riding, and the group didn't slow down until they found the hidden entrance to Imladris.

Thranduil breathed a sigh of relief when they all achieved the safety of the cleft, and without hesitation led them towards the Last Homely House.

"Welcome to Imladris," Thranduil announced to his companions as they emerged from the rock face to view the valley of Imladris. For some, it was the first time they had seen the Elven haven.

Legolas' breath was taken away. The land was delicately beautiful, and the many waterfalls captured Legolas' affection in a way he didn't fully understand. Soon, Thranduil resumed the journey down the cliff face and across the bridge to the entrance of Rivendell itself.

Lord Elrond, whom Legolas had met previously at another Council of the Eldar, welcomed the party to Imladris and had the weary travellers taken to rooms.

Legolas fell asleep as soon as his guide showed him his bed, and the amused guide left the exhausted ellon, chuckling to herself.

The next morning, Thranduil's company were sufficiently rested to show themselves at breakfast, with a little help from the ever-bright-eyed Sílívren, who cheerfully went about the house to wake each member of the Eryn Galen party.

Legolas entered the dining hall with Tathar and Brethilríl, with whom he shared his room, and they sat down with Brethildíl and Aldanna, who had saved them seats.

"Look," Tathar suddenly whispered to his friends, gazing over Aldanna's shoulder. "Elves from Lorien, it must be," he continued, and Legolas realised what had made his best friend so surprised.

A group of Elves entered the Hall and took a table for themselves, and every single one of them had silver coloured hair.

"So it's true," Brethildíl whispered to her friends. "Lorien Elves really are as pale as our Royal family. How could they ever hide in the trees?"

Legolas _humphed_, and reminded his friends that the trees in Lorien were strange, and silver-gold coloured, so the Elves would no doubt blend in seamlessly.

Legolas noticed, as he watched the group more carefully, that the majority of the Lorien Elves were actually wood-elves, of a variety uncommon in Mirkwood. Their eyes, he noted, were grey, and most of them had silver hair. This colourless palette was hauntingly beautiful on these strange Elves, in Legolas' opinion, and he thought he rather liked the colourful populace of Mirkwood, where the people had eyes in green, grey, blue and brown, and hair came in every shade between silver, yellow, brown and black, and even a few with tresses of red.

Suddenly Lord Elrond entered, and stood at a dais. "Welcome!" he declared, "To our visitors from Lothlorien, who arrived yesterday afternoon, and to our kin from Eryn Galen, who crossed our borders during the night. King Thranduil, Queen Aldariel, Lady Galadriel, Lord Celeborn," Elrond raised a glass, though it was filled with juice rather than the traditional wine in light of the time of day, "May this Council be uneventful, and these Trials be glorious!"

With cries of "Hear, hear," the gathered Elves toasted with their juice cups, and Legolas exchanged a smirk with Tathar at the ridiculousness of it all. Finally, here they were, only days away from being legally considered adults, and they were toasting with juice.

Breakfast began, and Legolas tucked in with gusto, as did his friends. They were distracted enough to not realise that they had been joined at the table until a humorous voice caused them to freeze, food halfway to five mouths.

"I thought I raised you to be Elves, not animals."

Brethildíl and Brethilríl immediately picked up knives and forks, blushing bright red, as their mother's laughing gaze rested on them. Lothellon merely placed a rather large stack of handkerchiefs in the centre of the table, and Legolas realised that not only the Brethils' parents had joined them, but also his parents, Tathar's father, and Aldanna's mother.

Neldororn handed his son a fork, gently chiding him for his lack of table manners.

Tathar swallowed, and wiped his juice-covered fingers on a handkerchief, staining it with the berry juice on his fingers. "I was hungry," he tried to excuse his behaviour, weakly.

Thranduil just shook his head. "Remember, you are not just Elves here. You are representing your families, and your Kingdom. We would not want to be known as the 'less wise, more dangerous, ill-mannered' Elves.

A snort of laughter met this, and Lothellon covered his mouth, sharply cutting off the sound. It was true, though - the Elves of Greenwood were widely known as being less wise and more dangerous than the Elves of Rivendell, and before Ladlaurë had lightly smacked her husband upside the head for his own ill manners, the whole table was laughing.

Breakfast only finished when the food ran out, and the Greenwood Elves separated to do as they would for the day.

There was almost a week until the start of the Trials, for the Council traditionally took place first. That meant that Legolas, Tathar, the Brethils and Aldanna were free to do as they would for seven days, and they fully intended to make use of the rare free time.

Aldanna convinced the group to spend some time training, for they had been travelling for a considerable time, and as such had no opportunity to keep their skills sharp. "We have to beat the stuffy Imladris trainees!" she argued.

Half an hour later, they had found their way to the training fields, with only a few arguments between the Brethils, only to find that the Lothlorien Trainees had the same idea.

On the grass, two young Elves were sparring. They were evenly matched, and appeared to almost dance as they battled. Silver hair flicked and flashed in the sunlight, and the rhythmic clanging of their blades was constant.

The beat did not falter, and Legolas turned to Brethildíl, mockingly offering her a bow and a hand. Grinning cheekily, the elleth curtseyed, and took Legolas' hand. They fell into the beat provided by the sparring Lorien Elves, dancing a silly, energetic dance of the wood-elves, one that would normally be accompanied by a wooden drum-like instrument's rhythm. Aldanna and Tathar soon joined the dance, and Brethilríl, laughing mischievously, danced a solo, jumping and squatting, clapping and shouting as he twisted and leaped in the middle of the group.

The sound of the blades soon changed as some other Elves took up the beat, and the sparring partners split up, joining the dance.

Laughing and shouting, the group danced, and when they stopped, all were grinning brightly.

Farther away, in a courtyard overlooking the field, one mighty Elf-Lord whispered to another, "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

"Isn't that how we met?" Thranduil returned, and he and Celeborn laughed gaily, for their own introduction had indeed been rather similar, millennia ago, when they had been pulled into keeping the beat for a group of merry travelling wood-elves. That had also been when they were introduced to Aldariel, who had been dancing the solo.

Turning, the dancers beheld the percussionists, who seemed to be around their own age.

The trainees, chests heaving from their exertions, introduced themselves to each other, using only their first names and their countries, as per the custom of Elvish children. And so it was, that Legolas, Tathar, Brethilríl, Brethildíl and Aldanna met Rumil, Orophin, Alassë, Lindir, and Ithilran, never knowing that they had not one set of rare Elvish siblings in their midst, but two.

"There will be much time later for us to compete against each other," Ithilran announced as he returned to the group with a number of water skins, which were quickly shared and drained. "What do you say to some practice?"

Tathar chuckled. "We did come here to practice, after all, not to dance."

The groups of young Elves accepted each other without a hitch, and soon they were sharing tips and tricks to improve each other's performance. The five Greenwood Elves were intrigued by the Imladris Elves' habit of practicing with orc-shaped targets, where they aimed for the jugular rather than the forehead, as the Greenwood Elves had been taught. Lindir insisted that this was because the orcs wore no armour over their necks, but Rumil commented that perhaps they needed to aim for the fleshy target because their arrows lacked the force to punch through skulls.

This, of course, led to an argument about how much force each could put behind an arrow, and so they set up targets covered in old armour of various thicknesses.

Each used his own bow and arrows, and would start at the top, where the lightest armour was placed, moving downwards through each piece of metal until the arrow fell away without piercing the metal. They only could find limited amounts of old armour, enough for only three shots, side-by-side, so Legolas, Rumil and Lindir were nominated as the test subjects.

Rumil, having instigated this while episode with his insult, was the first to shoot. He flawlessly punched through the centres of the first four pieces of armour but on the fifth, the bottom, his arrow bounced back, badly blunted. Rumil growled, and wasted another arrow on the same shot, to his displeasure.

Legolas, being involved merely so that one from each Realm was competing, punched his arrows cheerfully through each piece of armour, and even managed to lodge his last shot in the thick armour, though on closer inspection it had not gone through enough to be a worry to anyone wearing the armour. The line of arrow holes ran neatly down the pieces of armour, beside Rumil's marks.

Lindir, being the injured party, was last to shoot. He took the unmarred right hand side of the pieces of armour, punching arrows through the first two. On the third, the arrow fell away harmlessly. A second attempt succeeded, but the next target resulted in only another arrow clattering to the grass, blunted beyond use.

The rest of the group cheerfully congratulated Legolas on his victory, while Rumil muttered that he was physically smaller than the half Sindarin elf, and Lindir sulked over his defeat.

Soon, though, all was forgiven as challenges were enthusiastically shouted to spar.

Legolas fought against Ithilran, and as the pair spun, their braided hair flashed in the sunlight. Knives were everywhere as Legolas fought his way past Ithilran's defence, and the big sword swore Ithilran used was barely fast enough to keep the biting blades away, let alone mount an attack.

Brethildíl and Alassë both fought with deceptively delicate blades. They were well-matched, as both ellyth were armed with only a single light sword, curved like a leaf, and both wood-elves were incredibly quick. The blades flashed like lightning, and the clear ringing as they came into contact was musical as the blades resonated.

Lindir fought against Brethilríl, and the two dark-haired Elves both were armed with leaf shaped longswords. Lindir's paler skin was soon flushed with exertion, and the clashing and clanging of the blades slowed as the ellyn became exhausted.

Tathar and Rumil were head to head, and the short sword favoured by Rumil had been dropped, along with Tathar's large sword. The elves grappled and wrestled, neither accepting defeat, as they reached for weapons to gain the upper hand.

Aldanna and Orophin each bore two knives, and they seemed to be encased in a net of glittering silver as the blades moved too quickly for the eye to follow. Ithilran and Rumil cheered for the competitors, and the fights abruptly stopped when a furious voice ripped through the air.

"What do you think you are doing?"

Lord Glorfindel had entered the range, and he was not happy.

Ithilrin and Lindir immediately swarmed the Elf-Lord, babbling about how amazing their new friends were, and Glorfindel's harsh countenance finally smoothed as he was satisfied that no-one had been hurt.

"No more duels. If you want to fight each other, you can do it in the Trials," the golden-haired Lord declared.

A great sigh rose from the gathered youths, but Glorfindel stood firm. "I will not have any injuries a week before the Trials. You have not come into your own yet, so there are some among you who could easily be ordered to attend the Council."

Legolas paled immediately at this threat. He had no wish to attend the boring meetings, and his friends laughed at his misfortune. But Glorfindel was not done with his threats. "There are also some here who might be asked to join their parents in the trade negotiations," at this, the rest of them shut up, before Glorfindel delivered his last threat, so that each and every youth had a reason to worry about losing their freedom.

"Or, you could join your parents in the Guard." With a final glare, and satisfied that the younglings would not dare to do anything to land themselves in the utterly boring positions of tailing their parents at work, Glorfindel turned away.

The rest of the day was spent exploring Imladris, in groups led by Lindir and Ithilran.


	4. The Trials of the Elves

Disclaimer: I own nothing recognisable.

The Trials of the Elves

The Councils were concluded, and trade agreements were reached, and finally, the Trials began.

Legolas warmed up on the field, and yards away, the other competitors did so, too. Legolas had allowed his father to braid his hair, for the familiar task was calming to them both, and the Braids of the Greenwood was, after all, a matter of national pride. Thranduil had been quiet while he enjoyed the familiar task, and Legolas had allowed his father to hug him, in the privacy of the King's guest room, as he prepared his son for this first task of true adulthood.

Rumil and Orophin, it turned out, were brothers, and only their mother had made the trip to Imladris. Orophin, being the youngest brother, had been prepared for the Trials by his mother, and Lord Celeborn had kindly offered to prepare Rumil, who had been thoroughly impressed by the honour.

The rest of the Trainees had parents here, who prepared them much like Thranduil had done for Legolas, with gentle conversation, advice, and a braid declaring their country to those who knew where to look.

A horn call sounded from the assembly field. Legolas stood, and moved with the other Trainees towards his future. "I wish you the best of luck, Legolas," Thranduil said, and Legolas smiled in thanks before ducking out the door.

Lady Galadriel stood at the front of a great crowd, all assembled on tiered rows. She drew attention, in her sparkling white dress and mithril tiara, and her golden hair flowed down her back like a waterfall. Lord Celeborn stood next to her, resplendent in silver and gray robes, his silver hair gleaming in the sunlight, which also caught on a mithril circlet.

Legolas' attention, however, was drawn to his parents. King Thranduil wore bright Woodland Green, and a late summer crown graced his golden hair, with flowers fairly dripping down his back. He wore no mithril band, unlike the other Elf-Lords, preferring the way of the wood-elves whom he lived with. Queen Aldariel was beautiful in a knee-length wood-elf's dress, bright green and gold, and she wore a daisy chain about one bare ankle. In her dark hair were dozens of tiny flowers, caught in her braids. A delicate mithril tiara was set amongst her braids, reminding the people that she was a great Queen.

Lord Elrond stepped forward, his blue and silver robes glittering like the night sky. His customary mithril circlet glinted in the sun, but Legolas watched his smiling father, who showed his pride in his son without reserve.

"Welcome to the Trials of the Eldar," Lord Elrond announced, looking over the assembled Trainees.

"Today you make the leap from adolescence to adulthood, from student to healer, and from novice to warrior. Today, you take up the mantles of your fathers, and your positions within the realms. Today, some of you will be recognised with titles." Legolas stood proudly, knowing that the Lord referred to his own hereditary position as Prince of Eryn Galen, for before the Trials all young Elves were considered equal, without rank or position. Indeed, Legolas had only ever been introduced as _Legolas of the Woodland Realm_, in the same manner as any other untried young Elf.

Lord Elrond took a breath. "Today, you will be presented to the people as adults, and you will be held responsible by our laws for your actions. Today, you will take the Trials, and if you pass, will be considered warriors of the Eldar."

Legolas and the other Trainees bowed reverently, showing official recognition and acceptance of the occasion. If an Elf did not pass his or her Trial, they would still be considered adults, but they would not be allowed to join the defence of their homes as warriors without taking and passing a subsequent Trial within their own Realm.

"From Imladris," Lord Elrond announced, "Ithilran and Lindir." In keeping with tradition, no titles, families or ranks were mentioned as each young Elf was presented in advance of the Trials.

"From Lothlorien," Lord Celeborn continued, "Alassë, Orophin and Rumil."

"From Eryn Galen," Thranduil finished the announcements, "Aldanna, Brethildíl, Brethilríl, Legolas and Tathar."

As each young Elf was named, he or she stepped forward. The crowd cheered for each, but this was just the announcement before the Trial. The real presentation would be later, when they were officially presented as adults.

Soon, the first Trial was announced. It was a contest of archery, where stationary targets, and later, moving targets, were provided for the Elves to shoot. A third stage involved a race through the trees. Each Trainee had two opportunities to shoot each stationary target, and the second shot would override the first, regardless of which was the higher score. The outer ring was worth nothing, the bullseye was one point, and the tiny black dot in the centre, the size of an arrowhead, was ten points. All trainees intended to hit that tiny dot, but in previous Trials only a few managed it, for it was the first part of the first Trial of the day, and nerves often stole performance from the hopeful young Elves.

When his name was called, Legolas raised his bow, easily sighting the first target. This was a middle distance target, and Legolas competently placed his arrow in the small black dot within the bullseye, earning ten points. He had no need for a second try.

The distant target Legolas also flawlessly shot, earning ten more points, to cheers from the crowd.

The moving targets were painted clay discs, coloured red, black and green. The green ones, 'friendly targets' were not meant to be shot, and would incur a penalty of two points. Red targets were 'enemy targets' and would score one point with each hit. The black discs were smaller, and metal was embedded deep within the disc. When an arrow struck them squarely, they would sound a clear note, and the Trainee would earn five points. However, the arrow would be ruined, and unusable in the next stage. If he struck the black at all, it would earn two points. There were four black targets in each Trainee's Trial, and ten red targets. Then the competitor would be blindfolded, and targets with bells would be thrown, each worth five points. Fifty points were up for grabs in this section, and Legolas intended to take them all, for he knew that his main strength was in archery.

Legolas was in the lead, on twenty points, neck and neck with Aldanna, and Brethilríl, who both had managed the black dot shots in the stationary round. Ithilran, Rumil, Tathar and Brethildíl followed with eleven points, while the others all had two. No-one had missed the bullseyes, though not all had managed the tiny black dots.

When it was Legolas' turn for the moving targets, his awareness of all else faded. The first clay disc swung into the air as soon as Legolas had his arrow on the string. It was green.

The next was red, and a moment later, another red popped up. Both fell, a green-fletched arrow embedded in their centres. Another green disc, and then a red entered the field. Further away, another red was launched. Again, both reds fell with arrows. The next was black. Legolas hit it, but it did not ring. Gritting his teeth, and moving fast as lightning, Legolas sent another missile into the air. This time, he was rewarded with a clear ring. Then all thought stopped as Legolas methodically knocked, drew, aimed and shot at black and red targets.

Four times, the clear note rang.

When Legolas returned to a normal state of awareness, and his tunnel vision faded, he realised that the crowd was chanting and cheering. A blindfold was passed to him, and he obligingly bound his eyes. Utter silence descended, as the gathered crowd watched with baited breath for the legendary skills of the Greenwood to be displayed, for their training in the Wood put a lot more emphasis on shooting by sound than the other realms.

A bright tinkling rang out. Legolas easily located it, and sent an arrow in the direction he perceived it to be. He took another arrow, nocked it, and listened again. There it was – the light tinkling. Legolas whipped around to face it and heard another noise of a bell in the air. Realising that two targets were airborn, he shot first one and then the other, reaching for the second arrow fast enough that the crowd gasped in admiration. Silence descended, and Legolas began to worry that he had missed hearing the fourth target earlier, when he heard the distinctive jingling once more. He shot without hesitation, and the crowd cheered loudly.

"Fifty points," Lord Elrond announced, and Legolas grinned widely. He'd known he had done well, but to hear that he'd done it perfectly was something special, especially with those difficult blind shots.

Legolas joined the other Trainees, waiting out of sight, while the rest of the moving-target Trials were completed. Soon, they were led before the assembly, and Lord Elrond proclaimed the current positions of the Trainees. Unsurprisingly, Legolas was in the lead, on seventy points. Few had managed such a feat before, and Legolas thought he was entitled to some pride. What was surprising was that Aldanna was only eight points behind, having missed a clean shot on a black target.

"Legolas: seventy," Elrond announced the cumulative scores before beginning the next section. "Aldanna: Sixty-two. Brethilríl: Forty-eight. Tathar: Thirty-nine. Brethildíl: Thirty-four. Rumil: Twenty-nine. Ithilran: Twenty-nine. Orophin: Twenty. Alassë: Eighteen. Lindir: Twelve."

The next stage was a race, of sorts. Each competitor had a bow and arrows, reclaimed from the previous task. This meant that Legolas was four arrows short of a full quiver, and Aldanna was three short, while the other competitors had more than enough arrows. Each would have to be careful in this next stage, for every target along the way had to be shot by each Trainee, for misses would count as penalties. Legolas had exactly the number of arrows in his quiver as there were targets on the course.

The Trainees were lined up according to their ranking, highest first, so Legolas started at the front of the pack. As Elrond explained the course, Legolas concentrated on his plan. First, there would be a straight run, with twelve coloured targets, matching the fletching of the contestants' arrows. Legolas, therefore, had to aim for the green and gold targets. He did not bother to note which colours his friends used, though he idly wondered if it might be easier to aim at the bright red ones, for they contrasted the most against the white background. Each target in the rest of the course had twelve smaller targets upon it, the size of a normal bullseye, matching the colours of the competitors' fletching. Legolas' green and gold targets would always be in the top left hand corner of the target, knowledge which would take a moment out of searching for the correct target.

The rest of the course, interspersed with these targets, was a dash through the woodlands. The course was marked out by a dirt path, and the targets were far removed from it so as not to risk shooting each other. The end of the race would involve a great jump across a relatively narrow gorge, where a target stood - it could only be shot from the gorge itself, and the jump would require a run-up. Furthermore, the time required to climb back out of the river and up the cliff-face would surely lose anyone the race, if they happened to miss the jump.

The final positions were marked by the last arrows, which would be shot from the top to the bottom, in whatever order the racers finished in. As each target was shot, the wood would fall, and so the competitors only had to aim for the topmost target. The final score would combine the positions and the results of the archery scores, with first place being ten points, second scoring nine points, and so on. There were twenty targets in all, all worth one point, and any missed targets would set one back a point.

Legolas prepared, beside Aldanna, with the others close behind. Someone smacked a wooden drum, and the race began.

Legolas easily placed his first arrow in the green target, as he ran past. Then, the path ducked under the trees. Legolas was in the lead, though just barely. He easily shot the first four targets, but then was overtaken by the lithe Aldanna. He held his own in the race until the fifteenth target, which came up out of nowhere, and Legolas had to pause to shoot it, losing another two places in the running. Grumbling in the Silvan dialect, Legolas pushed forward, trying to overtake Aldanna, or at least Orophin and Brethilríl, but they were devilishly fast.

The path twisted and twined through the forest, and Legolas managed to overtake Orophin when he, cursing in Quenya, had to attempt a shot a second time. As the eighteenth target approached, Legolas let loose his eighteenth arrow, and didn't wait to see if it struck true, knowing that he could not afford a second shot with only two arrows - and two targets - left.

Suddenly, the ground disappeared under Legolas' feet, and he twisted to the right, shooting an arrow at the fleetingly-glimpsed target as he sailed through the air. With a jarring crash, Legolas fell to the other side of the narrow gorge, rolling sideways with the residual momentum. Without a second thought, Legolas picked himself up and ran forward, whipping his last arrow out. The moment he came into view of the last target, the placement line, he shot at the topmost target, and then dropped his bow as he tripped, falling gracelessly to the ground in a tangle of limbs, fighting his way free of someone else.

Legolas freed himself from the tussle, to see Aldanna panting on the ground, having run straight into Legolas after jumping the gorge and shooting the placement target. He offered her a hand up, and the pair jumped out of the way as Tathar bolted through the space, wheeling his arms to stop before crashing into Brethilríl, who somehow had managed to stop earlier than his peers.

The final positions were Legolas, Aldanna, Brethilríl, Tathar, Brethildíl, Rumil, Orophin, Alassë, Ithilran and finally Lindir.

No-one missed the clear fact that the Greenwood Elves had so easily outrun and out-shot their peers. While the competitors began discussing their experiences in the race, Thranduil explained to the gathered crowd that warrior training in his realm placed much more emphasis on archery and quick travel through woods than the other realms, for those were the very skills which often meant life or death for the warriors. Celeborn was the only one who did not seem surprised, for he had long ago noticed that with each successive series of Trials, the novices from the Woodland were consistently outperforming their peers' previous efforts in the first part of the Trials.

Orophin had attempted the shot from the gorge twice before making the leap, losing him a few more places in the tally. Ithilran, it seemed, had stopped to shoot the nineteenth target from the edge of the gorge, then attempted the jump without running up to it. He'd then spend the rest of the race climbing the gorge. Lindir, on the other hand, had missed a few targets, and had stopped to aim at them twice. That nineteenth target had been his undoing, too, though that was because he had jumped the gorge, twisted to aim, and stepped on a rock which had been loosened by the others jumping before him. The poor dear had fallen into the river, then, right past Ithilran, and had to climb back up, and shoot, and make his way to the finish.

Aldanna had attempted the jump shot, and much like Legolas had charged ahead without checking the result. Tathar had jumped and then shot, like Lindir had intended, but the time it took to aim was longer than he'd have liked, for the angle was rather difficult.

Legolas sheepishly told the others of his own experience with that particular target. "You shot without even finding the target first?" Lindir asked him incredulously. Legolas merely shrugged.

"It caught me by surprise. I was halfway through the jump before I knew there even was a gorge there, and I glimpsed the target, so I shot. I don't actually know if any of my arrows landed," he confided, but his friends were too distracted by his trick shot, especially as not one but two novices had attempted it.

The Trainees were allowed to break for lunch, and they separated to eat with their parents.

Legolas was animatedly recounting every moment of the race to his parents, who were gasping and laughing at all the right moments.

"I'm proud of you, Legolas," Thranduil told him soberly, after hearing about Ithilran and Lindir's unfortunate encounters with the gorge. "In all the long-years the Trials have fallen to Imladris, that gorge has been part of the race. Only a few have ever tried, and succeeded, shooting during the leap."

"Who?" Legolas asked eagerly.

Thranduil chuckled. "Not I, certainly. Bragolaglor, long before he became Master Archer, was the first recorded success at the gorge shot. There have been a few others, though I do not remember exactly who." Bragolaglor was Legolas' brother-in-law, and Legolas did not doubt that the valiant Elf had managed the jump shot.

"What were your Trials like?" Legolas suddenly asked. Thranduil smiled wistfully, while Aldariel chuckled, having heard the tale before.

"It was before Greenwood was settled by the Sindar. I grew up in Doriath, and indeed I was in one of the last groups to pass the Trials at Menegroth. The Trials were much like yours. They have not significantly changed in millennia. There was a race, and there was a leap shot, though few attempted it. I did, and my aim was awry, for as I let the arrow loose, I beheld the rushing water below me, and I stumbled when I landed. I turned, two arrows left, for as with Imladris, the jump shot was at the end of the course, and I took the shot again from the cliff. I came in second, for while I took my second shot, I was overtaken by one other, who attempted the trick shot, but missed, as I had done. She continued to run, but later lost points for missing the shot, and I was back in the lead." Thranduil chuckled. "Ah, she was a feisty one. Never let me live it down. Then she joined my father and I in Greenwood."

"Who was she?" Legolas asked curiously.

"Cûldol, the Healer," his father answered. Legolas knew her, indeed - she was one of a pair of sisters who ran the Healing House in Greenwood. Cûldol and her sister, Caranfínríl, were Elves of a rare kind, and were indeed named for their bright red tresses. The redness of their hair was like a beacon of hope to injured warriors of Eryn Galen, for it was said that they had never lost a patient.

Legolas asked his mother about her Trials, and she laughed, telling him that she had taken them much later than was custom, at a great series of Trials with many other Wood-Elves, when the Sindar migrants had also been required to take the Wood-Elves' rite of passage.

Legolas fondly remembered his own rite of passage, on the date of his first coming of age at eighteen years, when an Elvish child was considered ready to begin training as a warrior. He had been required to spend a week in the woods with naught but a bone handled knife and the clothes on his back. He had returned from the week feeling like he truly was a Silvan Elf, at one with the woods around him, and had all but forgotten that he was actually half a Sindar. The time in the woods had taught him patience, and he had thoroughly enjoyed exploring his homeland without any parental restrictions.


	5. Fight for First

_Disclaimer: I own nothing recognisable_

Fight for First

All too soon, the second half of the Trials were beginning. First the results were announced from the first Trial.

Elrond stood to make the announcement before the crowd. "In first we have Legolas, with a perfect score. Congratulations." Legolas grinned incredulously as his friends slapped his back. He'd never dreamed that he'd actually hit all the targets. "I also congratulate the rest of you, for not a single point was lost due to a missed target. Everyone who missed once, had a spare arrow with which they succeeded." More cheers met this remark.

"Legolas: one hundred," Elrond continued to announce the cumulative scores before beginning the next Trial. "Aldanna: ninety-one. Brethilríl: seventy-six. Tathar: sixty-six. Brethildíl: sixty. Rumil: fifty-four. Ithilran: fifty-one. Orophin: forty-four. Alassë: forty-one. Lindir: thirty-three."

When the applause died down, Elrond called attention once more, to open the second part of the Trials. "Ellyth and ellyn," he pronounced, arms before him, "now we come to the second part of the Trials. There will be a number of contests of strength, skill and speed. As ever, we deem that testing the endurance of our young on this day is too harsh, but let it be known that prior to these Trials, each competitor has run a full marathon. I can vouch for Ithilran and Lindir, for I ran with them."

Celeborn stepped forward. "I can vouch for Rumil, Orophin and Alassë, for I ran with them."

Thranduil stepped forward. "I cannot vouch for my novices, for I was unavailable to run with them on the appointed day. I present for consideration the word of my dear friend, Malthon."

Malthon joined the Lords and Ladies on the dais. Aldanna's father bowed to the gathered people and then spoke. "I can vouch for Aldanna, Tathar and Legolas, for I ran with them."

Thranduil continued speaking when the peopled quieted once more. "I present for consideration the word of my bodyguard, Lothellon."

Lothellon took Malthon's vacated space on the dais to speak on behalf of his children. "I can vouch for Brethildíl and Brethilríl, for I ran with them," he said solemnly.

Long ago, when the population of each realm was larger, no more than three youths had been allowed to run the marathon at a single time. Traditionally, their Lord would run with one group, and a parent of one runner would run with each other group. This was a precaution, for it was rare that Elves would be required to run such a distance, and most Elves only ever did so shortly before their Trials. In recent long years, though, fewer children were being born to the Elves, and it was all but unheard of for more than two groups to be required, with even two groups being unusual.

Legolas remembered the marathon vaguely. The first ten kilometres had been repetitive and mind-numbing, but the last thirty were an absolute mess of exhaustion and plodding along through the cool wood. He did not remember anything else that day, and had been told later that he, Tathar and Aldanna had fallen to the ground in boneless heaps upon returning to the bridge – their finish line – and had not woken or responded to stimulus for the rest of the day.

Legolas had no intention of running such a distance again, save at great need.

Elrond continued speaking, drawing Legolas from his memories.

"This sequence of Trials comes in parts. First, in a contest of power, you must run towards the beatboard," he indicated a straight track with a wooden board, nailed at an angle to another wooden board flush on the floor, creating a surface to bounce off, "and leap into the air to grasp the bar," he indicated a smooth rod, suspended above and slightly beyond the beatboard, "at the highest point of your jump. You get two attempts at heights of your choosing. The better score counts, with one point for each foot beyond your head height.

Legolas watched with trepidation as Ithilran seamlessly accomplished the task, grasping and swinging from the bar a good ten feet above the ground, and scoring himself four points. The ellon's second run, at eleven feet, he narrowly missed.

After half the trainees had attempted the vault, it was Legolas' turn. His bar was set at eleven feet, well out of reach of a standing jump. Taking his place twenty metres down the track, Legolas waited for the signal, and then took off running. He reached a full sprint in seconds, and jumped off the beatboard with a loud bang. Fixing his eyes on the bar, Legolas reached, and mercifully came into contact with the wooden staff, swinging in the air as he caught his breath with relief.

He dropped to the ground, and accepted the offer of a second run, with the bar set at twelve feet.

On the mark, Legolas sprinted down the track once again. He hit the beatboard with another loud bang, and soared through the air towards the bar, but his reaching fingers did not come close enough for him to grasp the wood. He fell, landing hard on the soft padded ground, and rolled to break the fall.

_Five_ _points_, he thought, _isn't_ _bad_, _really_.

His friends all managed eleven feet, but ended up in the dirt when they attempted twelve. Rumil and Orophin managed twelve feet, scoring themselves six points each.

"The next test is for strength," Elrond announced. "You will pull a rope, against a fellow trainee. The winner claims one point."

Legolas was pitched against Orophin, who mercilessly pitched him in the dirt. Legolas had the advantage of archer's shoulders, but Orophin did too, and the trees in Lothlorien allowed the use of larger bows than in the Greenwood, so Orophin had a stronger draw. Tathar and Aldanna won their own bouts, while both Brethils got a face full of dirt.

Speed was Elrond's definition of the next test. _A hundred metre sprint, easy enough_, Legolas thought. He placed second, after the surprisingly fast Aldanna.

Agility was tested by throwing them all in a melee and allowing them to all fight, with wooden blades coated in ink. After two minutes, the end would be called, and they would be placed based on the amount of ink on their skin and clothing.

Legolas noted with amusement that the design of the wooden knives allowed them to hold a lot of ink, and he readied himself for the challenge ahead, clearing his mind to focus on one thing: escaping unscathed.

Elrond whistled the signal to begin, and Legolas immediately lashed out with his blades, ducking low. Lines of blue-black appeared on two trainees' calves, and Legolas rolled out of the way of retaliation. He stayed low, swiping at everyone's knees and ankles, but soon they noticed him and targeted low.

Leaping and jumping, Legolas waved his wooden knives around, marking arms, shoulders, chests and faces as he tried to avoid his peers' blades.

Finally, Elrond signalled an end. Legolas idly noted that he had ink on his arms and the outsides of his knees, but not as much as some others.

Elrond deemed Legolas to be third, after Aldanna and Alassë.

At this point a break was declared, and the trainees were palmed off to a clearing not far away, where a table was filled with fruit and light sandwiches. They were sent off to bathe in a nearby stream, first the ellyth and then the ellyn, with soap specifically designed to remove ink.

All rivalry between the trainees was forgotten as they dug in, and Brethildíl eagerly sung the praises of a fruit rarely found in the Greenwood, but abundant in Imladris, her voice loud enough to be heard by the ellyn in the stream. Legolas and Tathar, having fared the best in the melee, helped to soap up their dirtier comrades, singing a teasing song as they worked.

Half an hour later, the games resumed, with a series of swordfights, using wooden practice blades.

Legolas was paired with Tathar, and the Silvan mercilessly showed him exactly why he had used a sword on the road to Imladris by thoroughly trouncing Legolas.

After a break, spent watching others spar, Legolas faced off once more, this time against Rumil. He won easily, the smaller ellon being used to fighting with a short sword, not the long, unwieldy training sword.

The third round, later on, Legolas faced off against Aldanna. She had already won two bouts, but she had been against Alassë, who was unused to a sword and smaller than Aldanna, and against Lindir, who had no intention of being a warrior, for he had trained as a healer.

Aldanna pounced on Legolas like a feral animal, teeth bared as she tried to hack at him with the wooden sword. Legolas easily blocked, and in return delivered a series of lightning-fast manoeuvres, forcing his friend backwards. She refused to back down, and soon was bent backwards as she tried to hold Legolas off. Legolas noticed when she winced, and kicked her shin, forcing her knee to bend more, while pressing all the weight he could down on their locked blades, and reached forward to pull her head forward and down, stretching the neural tissue through her whole body.

With a cry, Aldanna fell backward, pushing her leg straight and looking back up, and she lay panting on the ground, glaring up at her friend, her wooden sword a metre away and Legolas' at her throat.

Aldanna loudly cursed the day Legolas had discovered that she had mechanosensitive nerves, or whatever it was that Caranfinríl had called it.

Next was wrestling. In pairs, the trainees either won or lost, for five points. There were three rounds, so fifteen points were up for grabs if all three bouts were won.

Legolas was paired with Alassë first, and pinned her in under ten seconds. The slight Lorien elleth was no match for his strength, and her lack of bodyweight made Legolas' job far easier.

His next partner was Brethildíl, and the match lasted almost five minutes. Legolas tried every dirty trick in the book, and Brethildíl planted elbows, knees and feet in all sorts of uncomfortable places, and finally Legolas managed to tip her off her feet entirely. Unfortunately for him, she managed to turn the tables on him, and finally pinned him, counting out loud to three with tangible glee.

Legolas' final match was against Ithilran, and he managed to pin the bigger ellon using his dirty tricks. Ithilran limped away afterwards, and Legolas felt a touch of remorse, but reminded himself that orcs don't fight fair, and indeed, if he were to fight an orc unarmed, the orc would probably be wielding a knife anyway.

Then the healing section began. It was a relatively short test, and required the trainees to demonstrate competency in wrapping limbs to stop bleeding, as well as identify common orc poisons and mix the antidotes. Legolas passed the section with no sweat, as did all the others.

.

After dinner, the crowd burst into chatter when Thranduil took the dais. It was a long-held tradition that the King or Lord of each Realm would present the young adults as Warriors, and that the winner of the Trials be presented first. Hasty wagers were placed throughout the crowd, most of them involving Aldanna, who had surprised everyone endlessly during the Trials, and Legolas, who had so casually outperformed his competition, especially in the archery that morning.

"I have a conundrum," Thranduil said, rather than announcing the winner. "On a score of One hundred and forty-four, greatly outperforming the winners of past Trials, we have not one but two Trainees. Aldanna and Legolas, you can choose to accept a draw, or we can add a final challenge."

Legolas gaped, and exchanged a disbelieving glance with Aldanna. One hundred and forty-four was a full twenty points better than any winner during Legolas' lifetime, and even better than the greatest Elves through history. He was about to opt for a draw, as by now he was bone tired, when Aldanna declared that she would accept one more challenge.

Legolas nodded tersely in agreement.

A space was quickly cleared, and Legolas noticed with dread that it was the weapons arena. _Barzûl_, Legolas inwardly swore. He was exhausted, and wasn't sure he could even pick up a sword at this point.

Legolas and Aldanna grasped each other's wrist before collecting their weapons, and Legolas noticed that the elleth buzzed with nervous energy. Her eyes betrayed her exhaustion, but her smile was bright and energetic.

"Ready?" she asked, mischievously. Legolas smirked, and did not answer.

To Legolas' surprise, a pair of blunted knives were handed to him, and he turned around to see Aldanna with similar blades. Suddenly, his energy returned to him, feeling the comforting weight of his favourite hand-to-hand weapon type.

Elrond signalled to begin, and Aldanna immediately leaped through the air, landing in an indignant heap when Legolas jumped out of the way.

Legolas and Aldanna had sparred like this any number of times during the last hundred years. Both favoured paired knives when fighting, and Legolas felt like his blades were part of his body when he had knives in hand. The pair attacked and defended, almost too fast to follow, until finally Legolas ducked, spinning past Aldanna in an attempt to hamstring her. Aldanna, however, leaped up, landing square on Legolas' shoulders, knife to his throat.

"Barzûl," Legolas muttered aloud, dropping the knife which had, a second previously, been headed for his friend's knees.

.

"My congratulations," Thranduil started his speech, "to the four Trainees who have scored more than one hundred in the Trials. It is rare for any elf to perform so well across all areas of discipline, and I am very proud to say that all four are from Greenwood." The Elvenking then raised one arm as the applause died down, and announced the winner of the Trials.

"I present to the people, the winner of the Trials of the Eldar in the year 2904 of the Third Age: Lady Aldanna Ladlauriel, Warrior of Eryn Galen, one hundred and forty-four points." The gathered Elves burst into cheers, and Ladlaurë was cheering the loudest. Aldanna walked up to the dais, and knelt to accept a crown of summer flowers from Thranduil. "May your knives be ever sharp, and your bow be always strong," Thranduil blessed her as he lowered the Crown of Triumph onto her blonde head.

Aldanna stood, and the crowd cheered again. She grinned, and curtseyed, which looked far out of place as she wore breeches and a tunic for the Trials. Turning back to face her King, she knelt once more, and began the oath of allegiance, solemnly vowing to serve her King until the end of their time in Arda. Aldariel blessed her with a kiss on the forehead, and Aldanna skipped away to join her comrades on the grass.

Lord Elrond went on to present the young Elves of Imladris as adults, and as Warriors. "I present Ithilran Erestorion, Warrior of Imladris." Ithilran proudly stated his own oath of fealty.

Master Lindir was instated as a Healer, and jovially stated that he'd much rather be a healer than a warrior, having scored lowest in the Warrior's Trials, to laughter from the crowd and kind smiles from the Lords and Ladies. His own oath of allegiance was a variation on the Warrior's oath, for his duty was not to be on the field, defending his realm, but behind the lines, keeping his realm healthy. Elrond kissed his forehead, and blessed his healing hands.

Lord Celeborn took the dais to introduce his Realm's newest Warriors to the ranks. Lady Alassë was introduced as a Healer, and a moment later, so was Master Orophin. Rumil was the only new true warrior in Lorien's ranks this ennon. Each swore their oaths to the Lord and Lady of Lothlorien, and Galadriel kissed them each on the brow.

Thranduil had no healers to introduce, and next Trials he would only be introducing one - who was today being instated as a Warrior. Before beginning he wryly remarked that perhaps the Warrior training in the Greenwood was too good, for all the young ones were being swept up into the path of a warrior rather than a healer.

"I present to the people, Lady Brethildíl Ladlauriel, Warrior of Eryn Galen, ninety-one points." Brethildíl gracefully curtseyed before her liege, and swore the oath of allegiance. Aldariel kissed her on the forehead, blessing her with sharp eyes and a steady hand.

Thranduil invited Brethilríl to the dais, "I present Brethilriíl Lothellonion, Warrior of Eryn Galen, one hundred and thirteen points." Brethilríl spoke his oath, and Aldariel kissed him and blessed his future.

Then it was Legolas' turn, for Thranduil was presenting in alphabetical order. "I present Legolas Thranduilion," Thranduil announced, "Warrior of Eryn Galen, one hundred and forty-four points." Legolas bowed to his father as the people cheered, then knelt to swear his oath. To his surprise, his father placed a delicately wrought mithril circlet on his brow. "The Prince of Eryn Galen!" Thranduil announced, and Legolas flushed red as the people cheered. Legolas took a moment to remember when he had been officially crowned within the Greenwood, then began his oath of fealty.

"I, Legolas Thranduilion," he started, formally accepting his father's name as his own, as had all young elves before him, "hereby swear fealty and undying allegiance to King Thranduil and Queen Aldariel of Eryn Galen. My bow is yours to aim, my knives are yours to command. Today, I accept my responsibility as a member of the Warriors of Eryn Galen, and I enter the ranks of the army without reservation. To this I will hold true, til the world breaks, or I am taken from Arda forever."

Legolas rose, and the people applauded as his father formally accepted the oath of fealty. Aldariel kissed him on the brow, and blessed his aim to never fail, his spirit to never falter and his heart to never quail.

"I present to the people, Tathar Neldorornion, Warrior of Eryn Galen and Bodyguard to the Prince one hundred and ten points." Tathar proudly accepted his new title of Warrior, knowing that he was now eligible to achieve rank in the army of Eryn Galen. He was pleasantly surprised to have the official title of Bodyguard to Legolas, but as he had intended to be always by his best friend's side, this was only a welcome surprise. He said his oath of fealty, and Queen Aldariel kissed his forehead, murmuring a blessing upon his sword arm and the strength of his fëa.


	6. Open Bar

Disclaimer: I own nothing recognisable.

Open Bar

There was a great celebration that evening in the Hall of Fire, with much music and dancing. The Hall was filled to overflowing, and indeed many merrymakers had retreated under the stars, where the Sindar's skin glowed with unearthly light, echoed by the similarly pearly luminescence of the Noldor elves. But the most interesting thing, to the new graduates, was the open bar.

Legolas, still wearing his new mithril circlet, danced with Aldanna, her own flowery crown giving off a delicate scent in the night air. Under the stars, the young Elves who had come into their own today danced and laughed, and their friends and family joined their revelry.

Tathar elbowed his way through the crowd, three mugs of cider in his hands. A few steps behind was Brethilríl, holding another three mugs, and Brethildíl waved her brother, cousin and friends over to a table she had managed to secure.

The little group was soon gathered around the table, and Legolas discovered that apple and apple cider were a very interesting combination of food and drink, to his friends' amusement.

Thranduil felt trapped in the Hall of Fire. Usually, the merrymaking following the Trials and the Councils was a joyous reunion, with the exception of each time one of his own children came of age.

Long ago, when Aglorarnor passed his Trials, Thranduil had thought that the circumstances were exceptional. The young Prince had been taller than most, stronger and faster as well, and a Prince to boot. Aglorarnor had spent his first night as a true adult drinking with his friends, while his father had fended off the young ladies with a stick.

Then, hundreds of years later, about sixty years after the beginning of the Third Age, Belegalen had come of age. Thranduil had spent the night fending off the young ladies with a sword, as Belegalen had been Crown Prince, a much more alluring title than a mere Prince, as Celeborn had commented. Thranduil had never quite worked out whether the other Lord jested, though he did remember that Celeborn had been rather concerned about separating his daughter from the Lord Elrond at the time.

Then once more, the long-feared day of a child's coming of age had arrived, and Nimloth had been gutsy enough to dress in a floaty dress with flowers in her hair. Thranduil had managed to keep all but one suitor away. _Though_, he considered, _Bragolaglor didn't woo her at the Trials that year. He stole Nimloth's heart long before that. _

_I dearly hope that little Lothlomë can let me have peace at her Trials. Legolas certainly isn't!_

Thranduil's youngest son, though, was his concern today. And this child was no different to the others. While Legolas was off, having fun with his agemates, Thranduil was stuck, trying to extricate himself from the fathers (and some mothers) of young maidens, all asking for Legolas and their daughters to be placed into an arranged marriage.

Thranduil had long ago given up arguing that his children were half Silvan, and as such would follow their hearts to whatever end. Among the Sindar, it was not unheard of to arrange marriages, and among the Noldor it was all but expected. Many worked out, as Elves in general liked each other, but Silvans, before the formation of Greenwood and Lothlorien, had never held a tradition of marriage. Unions were common, and many children were born, and couples would stay together through to the end of the world, but there was no concept of marriage, as Thranduil had discovered at the outset of his relationship with Aldariel.

The Sindarin princes of the Silvans, in both Greenwood and Lothlorien, had introduced the concept of marriage, and it became a common practice for Silvan Elves to marry according to their Sindar comrades, but never for power, position or personal gain. Arranged marriage was not understood by the people, and soon the practice among the Sindar became much less common, still living only, really, in Imladris.

As such, Thranduil found himself with many offers of young ladies to wed his son, and he struggled to achieve the relative safety of the outdoors when he realised what the Eldar gathered around the Hall of Fire wanted. Eventually, Thranduil managed to extricate himself, but he had the distinct impression that there would be a rumour floating around by the morrow that Legolas was already betrothed - the question, really, was which young lady the rumour would involve.

Over in the clearing, Legolas found himself surrounded by young maidens - and even some not so young maidens who might have been twice Legolas' age. Tathar, taking his duty as Bodyguard seriously, never left Legolas' side, and he soon found himself to also be the object of ellyth's misplaced affections. Aldanna, the hero of the celebration, was having her own trouble avoiding the young ellyn.

Legolas and Tathar, chattering away in the Silvan dialect exclusive to Eryn Galen, concocted a plan over their glasses of a classic vintage. The foreign ellyth, who had been sighing at the beauty of the woodland tongue, were taken aback when Legolas suddenly kissed Aldanna, and the pair dashed off through the woods, followed almost immediately by Tathar and Brethildíl. The little group went to the place Lindir had named "Lover's Corner" to catch their breath after the mad dash across Imladris.

A few moments later, four more figures burst through the trees, panting and huffing as if they'd just run a marathon.

Orophin gallantly led Alassë to a bench, and next to him, Ithilran took a seat, breathing hard as he shook his head to clear it.

The young Elves looked at each other then burst into laughter, realising that all of them were now eligible for marriage, and that they were all immaturely running away from the prospect of a match.

"Every single time," they suddenly heard a grumble through the foliage, and then Elrond and Thranduil appeared through the bushes.

Elrond heaved a sigh of relief. "I am glad you all got out of there unattached. It is absolute pandemonium in there," he gestured to the Hall of Fire, and Thranduil agreed.

"You would not believe how many offers you all have," a new voice stated, and Aldariel picked her way into the clearing to stand by her husband. "I managed to convince those silly Noldor that no Silvan can abide an arranged marriage, but unfortunately that doesn't protect all of you," she added.

"I do _not_ consent to marrying anyone," Legolas stated vehemently, to laughter from his friends.

"Then you're glad I didn't agree to an arranged marriage with Lady Eldin?" Thranduil jibed his son, who paled immediately at the thought of the hawk-like elleth.

"Valar, no!" Legolas gasped, and Brethildíl burst into laughter when Lindir assured them that avoiding Lady Eldin was in everyone's best interests.

"Good," Aldariel stated. "It is not always wise to choose your mate so young."

Sensing an opportunity for mirth, Thranduil asked his lovely wife, "So how old were you, exactly, when you convinced me to marry you?"

Tongue in cheek, the lovely Queen responded, "Not old enough! Look where I ended up - fending off masses of young ladies intent on bedding my youngest son!"

Legolas squirmed at the thought. He had travelled with ladies many times, and fought beside them, but he had absolutely no desire to see what lay under their clothing. Soon, the danger of matchmakers was deemed to be over, and most of them headed back in to the party. Legolas, Aldanna, Tathar and Brethildíl, however, stayed to bathe in the starlight.

"I do not imagine you will last two ennyn without giving in to one of those lovely ladies," Aldanna informed Legolas.

"Want to bet?" Legolas asked, turning a wolf-like grin on his childhood friend.

"No!" Brethildíl interrupted, hands on her hips as she stood over her comrades. "I will not let this go any further. Besides, I want to dance, but Tathar won't leave until you do. So get moving!"

Legolas and Aldanna obeyed the irate elleth, hastily following her back to the party. The foursome soon met Brethilríl at the party, where they were roped into a silly game with the others who had graduated this day.

Twelve large mugs were lined up on a table. On one side stood four Elves, including Rílglín and a number of his agemates from Imladris. On the other, facing the monstrous mugs, were today's graduates.

Alassë hesitated at the competition. "Are you sure?" she asked, vaguely remembering her father warning her to not drink too much, or suffer the consequences later.

"You'll be fine!" Rílglín laughed happily, pushing Alassë into her seat.

Legolas doubtfully picked up his mug. It was full of dark red wine, and a whiff of it reached his nose - it was not a fine vintage, like the Esgalduin, or the strong Dorwinion, but rather the dregs of a wine-making operation, infinitely strong, and not very pleasant to smell.

"Rules," Rílglín's companion from Imladris announced, "Drink it all, no stopping. You get another mug when that one is empty. No regurgitation."

Legolas raised his mug, resigning himself to a headache in the morning. Saluting Aldanna and Tathar, who sat either side of him, he raised his mug to his lips when Rílglín yelled, "Go!"

The taste was vile. Legolas gagged on it for a moment, then forced his throat to relax and swallow the thick liquid. He was halfway through the mug when Aldanna passed out, her false wine trickling down the table's leg.

Legolas managed the whole mug, and took the second one Rílglín offered. All of the slighter Elves were already flat on the floor, leaving only Legolas, Tathar and Rumil in the running. One sip was enough for Tathar to overbalance, and Legolas joined his bodyguard not a second later.


	7. The Hangover

Disclaimer: I own nothing recognisable

The Hangover

The next morning, Legolas woke with a blinding headache. He felt slightly less hard-done-by when he saw that Tathar and Brethilríl also suffered, and the three sullenly made their way to the breakfast hall, having wrapped cloth around their heads to attempt to block out noise. With relief, they found that a quiet courtyard had been reserved for the newly graduated Elves, and they entered a scene of despair.

Alassë, Brethildíl and Aldanna moaned and clutched their heads, not even looking at the food piled on a side table. Orophin, and Lindir were making a much braver attempt to eat breakfast, though they only had managed a small amount of food each. Ithilran and Rumil seemed the worst off, and they finally admitted to drinking two full mugs, in a hare-brained attempt to beat each other.

It was some time later, when they had all managed to eat something, that a number of Elves entered the courtyard. Legolas melted into his father's embrace, and vaguely realised that his comrades were receiving the same treatment from their own parents.

"Every single time," Celeborn muttered, gently patting Rumil on the back. "The first day they are allowed to drink whatever they like, and the older Elves suggest that silly game."

"I don't know how they managed it," Elrond added quietly, from where he comforted Ithilran, whom he had adopted after his parents had been slain. "I was so careful to make sure that no-one had access to the stuff all year."

"I imagine they've been planning it all year," Thranduil commented wryly. "That was strong, and it knocked the young ones out far sooner than the usual brew."

Legolas tucked his aching head into his father's shoulder, not even caring that he was acting like an injured child. All around him, his friends and peers did the same.

Aldanna buried her head into her mother's neck, unknowingly mimicking her cousin.

Tathar, curled up in Neldororn's comforting arms, mumbled incoherently. His father gently shushed him, and there they waited for the hangovers to fade.

"What have we learnt from today?" Silivren sternly asked, a few hours later, when the new graduates finally stirred for want of food.

Aldanna hung her head, not meeting her mother's eyes. "Well?" The bodyguard restated her question, and Aldanna mumbled her answer.

"Don't drink anything if you don't know where it comes from."

"And let that be a lesson learnt."


	8. On the Road Again

Disclaimer: I own nothing recognisable

On the Road Again

It was a few days later that the Greenwood company once again set off into the mountains. The Lothlorien party had left the previous day, and the seventeen travellers followed Elrond's instructions about which path to take into the mountains. Brethildíl waved them off, standing in fellowship with Elrond's household, for she had been offered apprenticeship with Elrond for the coming years.

The passage East was significantly quieter than the passage West, as the goblins who inhabited this pass had but recently been cleared out by a war patrol from Imladris.

They met no resistance to their passage in the mountains and soon found themselves reaching the eastern border of the Greenwood.

Legolas and Tathar offered to scout, and Rílglín, mollified by a sharp look from his father, stayed with the main group.

Legolas enjoyed riding beneath the trees, but soon decided that running the canopy would be much more productive. Leaving his horse to follow Tathar, Legolas leapt into the branches, easily keeping pace with the easy trot of his best friend on the path.

Suddenly, Legolas caught sight of a web, stretched right through the branches. He stopped short of becoming entangled, and dropped to the ground to warn Tathar. The pair immediately turned back to meet the group, and Legolas reported his finding. Ladlaurë immediately asked to have a look, for she would need more silk to complete all the orders that had been placed while in Imladris.

Thranduil ordered them draw weapons, and they continued, with Legolas, Brethilríl, Rílglín, and Aldanna in the canopy. Rílglín first saw the spider, and he expertly placed an arrow in its eye. The beast fell, keening horribly, and suddenly the forest was alive with the foul beasts. Thranduil yelled a fierce battle cry, "Belegalen!" as he launched himself at the nearest spider.

Not twenty minutes later, the spiders were dispatched, but Miruial had been stabbed while she fought with her small blade. The elleth was paralysed, and a few moments later, Tathar informed the group that his father, Lothellon, was also senseless. Thranduil sighed, and shook his head. "This makes thirty times he has gotten in the way of danger to me," he commented sadly. "He will be fine in short order, his body is well used to spider venom by now." As the injured were loaded onto horses, the warriors and Ladlaurë collected the webs, rolling the silk into large balls to load onto the horses.

Soon, Legolas, Brethilríl, Aldanna and Tathar were sent into the canopy, to keep an eye out for other nests, and to free up horses for the bulky load of webs. The group encountered three more nests, each larger than the last, on their way up the Elf path.

At the crossing of the Enchanted River, the horses, now all loaded with webs, for in the days they had spent crossing the forest, Miruial and Lothellon had awoken, were lead across the narrow rope bridge. Most of the Elves used the canopy path now, leaping from branch to branch, using ropes and vines to span the larger gaps in the canopy. Within the Greenwood, most of the Elves (including all of the Silvan Elves) usually travelled in the treetops, where the only real danger was the occasional spider, though these usually lived in the lower canopy.

The fierce hatred of all Elves of the Greenwood towards the Giant Spiders was legendary among other Elves, who still refused to consider them a blight upon the great Forest. Thranduil, though, was perhaps the fiercest in his vendetta against the beasts, for his second son, Belegalen, had been the first Elf to be killed by the spiders. When they reached the fourth, and largest, nest of spiders, Thranduil convened the group to work out a plan.

Aldariel and Miruial, being the slightest and least dangerous-looking of the group, would accompany Silivren into a clearing just to the south of the path, where they would talk and laugh loudly to attract the attention of the spiders. The rest of the group would lie in wait, concealed among the trees, to ambush the spiders as they approached.

It was a starless night, for the sky was veiled by clouds, and Legolas was grateful for this as he climbed into a high branch, perching ready to shoot spiders. Spaced evenly around the clearing were the other archers: Brethilríl, Tathar, Aldanna, Thranduil, Bragolmel and Hîmdol, and the seven, including Legolas, were well out of the way of the clearing itself, while perfectly positioned to shoot spiders.

The rest of the group hid themselves among the trunks, knives and swords drawn.

Silivren let out a loud tinkling laugh, and this was echoed by Miruial and Aldariel, who then burst into song. The song, a simple tune heralding the evening, attracted spiders like nothing else.

These first score of spiders were easily shot down, and then the knife-work began. Legolas stayed in the treetops, shooting arrow after arrow into the clearing, while Thranduil and Aldanna dropped to the ground to fight. Abruptly, there were no more spiders entering the clearing, and Legolas picked off the remaining few that tried to swarm the Queen where she fought.

Legolas dropped to the ground, and Ladlaurë crowed at the prospect of claiming all of their webs.

Thranduil kicked one spider in the swollen abdomen, glaring at the beast as if it had personally insulted him. He then knelt to draw out his arrow, and the other archers silently collected their own arrows.

"These should not be so close to the path," Lothellon murmured, and the words shattered the silence.

"There should be a patrol in this area, taking down the spiders that move this far north," Thranduil added, a frown of concern crossing his face.

Murmurs of assent followed this remark, from the advisors, who were examining a particularly large spider. "I think this is the leader," Hîmdol proclaimed.

"There are very few webs," Ladlaurë announced, having checked for silk. "I think they were driven north."

The group moved on, and sure enough, they did not meet any more spiders as they went. When they finally reached the caves, Ladlaurë immediately took the horses and their precious loads to her workroom, a hut built in amongst the trunks across the river from the caves.

The others all retired to their own rooms, and did not surface until the call for dinner.


End file.
